Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but the transaction adds 47 new employees, including 17 partners.

FHO Managing Partner Joe Fallon will continue to oversee the daily operations of the Boston unit, which will be renamed Cassidy Turley FHO.

Burkhart said Cassidy’s growth through affiliations and acquisitions targeted strategic commercial markets. “Securing a presence in greater Boston, one of the nation’s strongest commercial real estate markets, is a critical component of our strategic growth plan,” he said. “Boston’s commercial real estate base is unparalleled given its cluster of businesses in technology, higher education, health care and professional services.”

Cassidy’s expansion comes at a time when many smaller real estate services providers are consolidating nationally, according to real estate experts.

Firms like Cassidy are able to expand their presence during the economic downturn by acquiring “a local sharpshooter” with existing clients and local business expertise, said John Guinee, managing director at Stifel Nicolaus. Larger firms, such as Cassidy, offer smaller firms the ability to spread their overhead costs as well as tap national platforms to offer more services, he said.

In September, Cassidy wrapped up its acquisition of the brokerage and property management businesses of Atlanta-based Carter. Terms of that deal also were not disclosed. However, the Carter acquisition added about 270 employees and 25 million managed square feet in 11 states to Cassidy Turley’s portfolio.

Cassidy Turley booked more than $17 billion in deals last year and expects to close more than $20 billion in transactions by the end of 2011, according to Burkhart.